


Rock-a-bye

by romanticalgirl



Series: In the Tree Tops [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Dad Steve, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-27 04:28:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16211399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanticalgirl/pseuds/romanticalgirl
Summary: Steve finds a baby on his doorstep. And someone expects him to take care of her.This is possibly the most horrifying and frightening mission Steve Rogers has ever had to undertake.





	Rock-a-bye

**Author's Note:**

> Someone abandons a baby. This is touched on in the first section, as it is the cause of the accidental baby acquisition.
> 
> If this is a thing that someone must do, they should take the baby to the hospital or to a police or fire station. Do not leave it on the steps of some random superhero's house. Superheroes are not the smartest tools in the shed when it comes to parenthood and interpersonal relationships.

Steve closes his eyes and exhales slowly. When he opens them again, nothing has changed. 

So. 

There’s a baby on his doorstep. In a basket. Like Moses.

The note’s not on papyrus or anything, or carved into stone, so he suppose he should be thankful. Coming home to a baby with a tablet holding the ten commandments might be more than Steve could handle. Not that a baby itself isn’t more than Steve can handle. Because it’s a baby.

He stands there and stares. The baby is staring up at him with brilliant blue eyes and waving its fists like it’s ready to fight the world. 

He would remember if he got someone pregnant, right? He’s pretty sure he would.

He enters his code on his phone then puts in his thumbprint, just glad that Tony doesn’t make it take a blood sample, and tells it to call Sam.

“Wilson’s Counseling for Unfrozen Super Heroes. I’m afraid Mr. Wilson is unavailable right now.”

Steve ignores him. “Sam, there’s a baby on my doorstep.”

Sam’s spiel stops mid-sentence. “A what?”

“Baby. Tiny human. On my doorstep. At my place. Where I live. There’s a note.”

“What does the note say?”

“I don’t know. I’m too afraid to read it. Did I get someone pregnant, Sam? I’d remember that, right?”

“Given that it would require you to end your celibate lifestyle, yes.”

“I’m not celibate.”

“When did you last get laid?”

“Um… What year is it?”

“You’re fucking hopeless. Read me the note.”

Steve squats down and reaches for the basket. Quicker than he can process, the baby grabs his finger. “Oh god. It’s holding my finger.”

“You’re a fucking super soldier. Pretty sure you can handle it.”

“You want me to punch the baby?”

“Oh my God, you are really fucking hopeless. Read me the note.”

“Dear Mr. Captain Rogers. I am a fifteen-year-old girl and I trusted a guy and I got pregnant. My parents won’t speak to me, and I’m living in a friend’s basement. I want to stay in school and become a teacher. I can’t do that and have a baby, and I can’t think of anyone else to trust. Her name is Callie and she’s a really good baby. She’s only a month old, but she’s been on formula, so she won’t need me. I’m really sorry to do this, but I want to make something of myself. I know you probably frown on sex before marriage, but hopefully you won’t hold that against her.”

“Wow. For a fifteen-year-old, she’s got the whole manipulation thing down.”

“Sam. You come take the baby. I don’t know what to do with a baby. I’d probably break a baby. You have siblings. And nieces and nephews. You have family that knows what to do. How to feed and change and… oh god, what the fuck else do you do with a baby?”

“Steve. Pick up the baby.”

“It’s in a basket.” He’s panicking. He knows he’s panicking. “The baby. She. She’s in a basket. Do I keep her in the basket?”

“Steve. Pick up the basket and take the baby inside.”

“What if it’s a trick? What if she’s a bomb?”

“Look, I’ll come over. Just take the baby inside. Did she leave you with anything else? A diaper bag or anything?”

“Um. No. Oh god. The baby’s going to die because I don’t have anything.”

“Rogers. Take a deep breath. Calm down. Take the baby inside. I’ll be over in a few. I’ll bring baby stuff.”

“Yes. Yes. That’s good. Enough to get by before you take the baby.” Steve nods even though Sam can’t see him. “Yes.”

“Steve. Now.”

“Right.” He hangs up and looks down at the baby. She still has a death grip on his finger, and she’s blinking at him. Probably not at him. Just blinking. “You need to let go of me. I have to unlock the door.”

She keeps blinking and then screws up her face and lets out a horrific scream. Steve jerks back and falls down his steps. Fortunately the baby -- Callie -- lets go and so he doesn’t end up with a basketful of baby on top of him. Clearing his throat, he gets to his feet and goes up the steps again, unlocking the door, and shoving his way inside. Another scream, muffled this time, reminds him that he left the baby -- Callie, dammit -- on the steps. 

He opens the door, snatches the handle of the basket, and pulls her inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He leans against it, holding the basket out at arms-length. Callie -- ha! -- stops mid-scream and starts making smacking noises. Steve’s eyes widen and he looks around the room as if someone who knows what the fuck he’s supposed to do will magically appear. 

Look, given his day job, it’s not _impossible_.

He carries the basket over to the sofa and sets it on one of the cushions, then realizes it could fall off and sets it on the floor. He needs a drink. He needs to be able to get drunk, but he’s pretty sure that’s not the right reaction. Fathers get a celebratory drink when they have babies, right? 

“I need a drink.”

Callie keeps making smacking noises and then her face bunches up again. She looks like an old man and Steve panics again. There’s a squishy blue thing in the basket, so he grabs it, grateful it’s a pacifier as he shoves it in her mouth. She stops smacking and starts sucking. Steve lets out a relieved breath. Right. He can do this.

She spits the pacifier out and lets out a wail that Steve’s pretty sure the entire neighborhood, if not all of New York, can hear. “No. No. No. Don’t do that. That’s bad. And loud. Look, if I knew what to do, I’d do it. I swear, but unless it involves aliens or mad scientists, I have no idea. I mean, if you were a mad scientist who looked like a baby, we’d be okay, but you’re not and oh god, stop screaming.”

She doesn’t listen. 

Steve learns quickly that a baby screaming is probably awful, but when you throw in extra-sensitive hearing, a baby screaming is like having your head wrenched backward, cleaved in two, and then super glued back together. Hydra probably could have just subjected Bucky to this and he’d have done anything to _make it stop_.

He immediately feels bad for the thought, and tries to shove the pacifier back in Callie’s mouth, but she keeps spitting it out and yelling at him. He was an only child. Bucky’s mom didn’t trust him with the babies, because he was always sick and looked like he could barely keep himself upright, much less hold a baby. 

At least back then he had shitty hearing.

“Please stop. I will give you anything if you stop. You want a jet? A robot? I can get those. Shit. What do girls like? Oh shit, now I’m bing heteronormative. Shit. I should stop saying that. Dolls? Chemistry kits? Trains? Cars? Stuffed animal? Paper?”

“She’s a month old, Rogers. She doesn’t know what to do with any of that, and Jesus Christ, take her out of the basket. She probably wants to be held.”

Steve hadn’t even realized Sam was there. Certainly hadn’t realized he’d left the door unlocked. He looks over, and he’s pretty sure he looks wild-eyed, but he reaches for the blanket-wrapped mass to pull it out of the blanket.

“Carefully. And support her neck. They don’t have a lot of muscle tone, so they can’t hold up their heads.” Sam disappears into Steve’s kitchen and Steve stares down at Callie and her brain-piercing scream. He puts one hand under her neck and another under her back? Butt? Babies are small. Maybe he’s got one hand beneath both. 

He eases her out and stares ddown at her. The change in position has stopped the screaming, but she’s got tears running down her red face and oh god, Steve’s broken her. “Sam, she’s crying.”

“Babies do that.” He comes out and rolls his eyes. “Hold her against you. She’s not a smelly bag of garbage.”

“She does smell.”

“Yeah, probably needs a new diaper. C’mon.” 

Steve follows Sam, still holding Callie at a distance, and goes into the guest room behind him. Sam opens the bag he’s got with him and lays out a pad of some sort. It looks like the thing Steve has underneath his dish drainer. 

“Diaper changing pad. Lay her down on it.”

Steve does as he’s told, relieved that she still seems to be alive. “What if she rolls off?”

“You have super reflexes, you’d catch her, but that’s why we have her closer to the middle of the bed. Now, unwrap the blanket. She might get upset. Babies like being swaddled.” He rolls his eyes again and doesn’t let Steve get a word in. “Wrapped up tight in the blanket.”

Steve nods and carefully undoes the blanket. She looks like a burrito, and he’s not sure how he’s going to get her out of the whole thing without rolling her across the bed, but once he’s got it started, it comes apart easily enough.

“There, now you’ve shown the blanket who’s boss. Pick her up and move the blanket, then lay her on the changing pad again.”

Steve does as he’s told, still carefully supporting her neck. Now that she’s out of the blanket he can see she has legs, not that he thought she didn’t, because she’s kicking them and because they’re there. She’s wearing something that looks like a one-piece swimsuit with arms. 

“Okay. Now. Unsnap it.” Steve looks for snaps and starts to lift her up. Sam sighs a put-upon sigh. “Between her legs, Steve.”

“ _What?_ ”

“The snaps. And, dude, you’re about to see her half-naked. You’re good.” Steve unsnaps the outfit, his eyes closed. “Steve. C’mon, man.”

“Right. Sorry.” He opens his eyes and looks down at her. She’s giving him a suspicious look and he considers running out of the room, but Sam’s look is even more intimidating. 

“Push the onesie up and then undo the straps of the diaper.”

“I can do that.” Steve does, opening the diaper. And immediately getting peed on. “She _peed on me_.”

“Change in temperature. Happens. Get used to it. Here.” Sam hands him a container of baby wipes. “Clean her off. Careful. Those things are cold.”

The warning’s too late and Steve gets another trickle of pee. “Is she gonna do this every time?”

“For a while, probably. Get used to it. You’ve now got pee, poop, and vomit in your life. Now grab her by the ankles, gently, lift her legs and pull the old diaper out.” Steve does and holds one diaper in his hand and Callie’s legs in the other. He looks at Sam, and he probably looks really pathetic. “Put the diaper down, put the new diaper underneath her.” 

Sam pushes the new diaper toward him. Steve grabs it, turns it side to side and then puts it underneath Callie, hoping he’s done it right.

“Forgot a step. Always have the new diaper open and ready to go. Also, you’ve got it backward.”

Steve turns the diaper around and then slowly lowers Callie onto it. He looks up quickly and Sam nods in approval. He pulls the front of the diaper up and undoes the tabs and pulls them around to the front of the diaper, securing it.

“She needs to be able to get oxygen to all her extremities, Steve. They’re not like Barnes’s skinny jeans. Loosen it a little. Not too much or it’ll fall off and you’ll have a whole new set of problems.”

“I have enough problem right here!” Steve rips open the tabs, tearing them clean off. Sam bites his lips to keep from laughing, opens up another diaper, and hands it to Steve. 

“Try again. The stuff they make for babies isn’t made to withstand the full strength of Captain America.” 

Steve grumbles and does it again, managing to get the diaper on well enough for Sam’s approval. “Wasn’t my full strength.”

“I was joking, not insulting you. Resnap her onesie. Don’t pinch her --” Sam breaks off as Callie lets out a high-pitched wail of pain. “Skin.”

“What do I do? What do I do?”

“Unsnap the damn thing!”

Steve does, ripping the bottom half of the snap out. “Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.”

“It’s okay.” Sam reaches over and takes Callie’s leg so he can move it just enough to see. There’s a bright red spot on her leg, pinched skin framed with white. Sam rubs it softly. “She’ll be okay. Just gotta be careful. So, we’re gonna take the onsie off of her, and we’re going to just wrap her up in the blanket.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Steve leans over Callie, his eyes wide and he’s not sure he’s felt worse since he let Bucky fall out of the train -- he can practically hear Bucky’s eye roll -- and, just like then, he has no idea what to do. Callie waves her arms, smacking Steve in the nose. “I deserved that.”

“Steve. Undress her, wrap her in the blanket, and pick her up.”

Steve does as he’s told, failing spectacularly at swaddling. Still, he wraps the blanket around her and holds her against his chest to keep the blanket from falling off, being sure to support her neck.

“Good. Now come sit down before you pass out.”

He nods rapidly and goes to the living room. He sits down and looks up at Sam. “Now you take her to your sister, right? I’ll pay for all the stuff. Just…”

“Steve, that girl trusted her baby to you.”

“That girl has no idea I’m an accident waiting to happen!”

“Shit, you don’t _wait_ to happen.” Sam tucks the blanket around Callie, fingers pushing it in around her and against Seve’s chest. “Stay.”

Steve does, afraid to move. Callie is looking at him, making her smacking sound again. “I have no idea what that means. Sam, when will she talk? Soon?”

“She’s hungry. That’s what smacking means.” He heads toward the kitchen, and Steve stares after him in horror. 

Sam takes one look at him when he walks out of the kitchen and laughs. He comes over to the couch where Steve is paralyzed and hands him a bottle. Steve stares at it. It’s filled with a milky substance. “Please tell me that’s not breast milk.”

“Where would I get breast milk? It’s formula. Give her the bottle.”

“Do I squeeze it?”

“It’s not a water bottle, Steve. She’ll suck on the nipple.”

Steve glances at the bottle and at Callie. Her smacking’s gotten louder and faster, so Steve starts to shove the bottle at her. 

“She can’t hold it, and you need to be gentle.”

“Right.” He guides the bottle to Callie’s lips and she starts sucking immediately. Steve looks at Sam and beams until suddenly she’s coughing and choking. “Oh god, I broke her.”

“Take the bottle out and sit her up a little. She just got too much.”

Steve does as he’s told and Callie stops coughing, formula running past her gums and down her chin. Sam hands Steve a cloth. He wipes her face on instinct and then glances at Sam who nods. Steve presses the nipple back against Callie’s lips and she starts sucking again. Steve releases a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.

Callie finishes her bottle faster than Steve thinks she should. He looks from her to Sam. “What next?”

“You gotta burp her.”

“What?”

“Babies can’t burp on their own. You have to burp her. Put the cloth over your shoulder, hold her against you, and pat her back.”

“Okay.” He follows Sam’s instructions but hesitates before he touches her back. “How hard?”

“You know how hard you hit Barnes?”

Steve’s eyes go wide. “Are you sure?”

“Do the polar -- sorry -- opposite of that. Pretend you’re painting. Light touch.”

Steve nods and presses his hand to her back. He rubs a few slow circles, then looks up at Sam for approval. Sam smiles and nods then shakes his head.

“You are hopeless, Rogers.”

Steve nods in agreement, but keeps rubbing for a moment before he finally starts patting her on the back. Callie just stays there quiet, her head against Steve’s. He’s about to panic about her not burping when she releases the loudest and wettest burp he’s ever heard and vomits down his back.

“Don’t worry. Just spit-up.”

“Did she spit it all up? Do I have to feed her again? This is like that Exorcist movie Nat made me watch, isn’t it?”

“No. Just settle her back in your arms and hold her, wipe her face. And we’ll get you bigger burp rags.” Sam sits down in the chair opposite Steve. “Maybe we’ll sign you up for some ‘Daddy and Me’ classes.”

“I’m not a daddy.”

Sam leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, looking at Steve through narrowed eyes. “You gonna put her up for adoption? Leave her on someone else’s doorstep?”

“No! Just… Sam, I’m an Avenger.”

“Big fucking deal.”

“I’m gone. A lot. My job is dangerous. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, there’s still a lot of craziness out there that requires my presence! It’s obvious she can’t fend for herself.”

“There’s a day care at Stark, and I bet Tony could set up something if you’re going to be gone multiple days. And there are actually a lot of things that don’t need the blundering force of Captain America.”

“You’re hanging out with Bucky too much.”

“Bucky is an asshole, but that doesn’t make him wrong. So. You sit more out than you have been. You’ve got more of a support system than that girl had. So you make do.”

“So. I have a baby.”

“You have a baby.”

“I should… Have a meeting. And a press conference?”

“Yup. I’ll run out and get a car seat, we’ll head over to the Tower. You do your whole ‘Avengers assemble’ thing.”

“I don’t say that. That’s a thing made up by the press.”

“Mmhm.”

“Just go. I’ll call Tony. _He_ likes to say it.”

**

“So where is Cap if he called this meeting?” Sam nods and Steve walks into the conference room. His hand is sweating, and he’s scared he’s going to lose his grip, but he manages to set the car seat on the table.

No one says a word.

Steve waits several minutes before he clears his throat. Of course, the minute he’s going to start talking, Tony interrupts.

“Well, fuck me. Cap got some girl in a family way.”

Natasha blinks and, surprisingly, looks startled. “That’s a baby.”

“Yes,” Steve manages. Callie waves her hands around and smacks the brightly-colored, crackly baby toy Sam had hung from the handle of the car-seat carrier. “This is, um, Callie?”

Bruce blinks a few times, then puts his fingers under his lenses to rub his eyes. “Why is there a baby?”

“Who the fuck did you knock up?” Bucky asks, somewhere between incredulous and angry. “You don’t even have sex.”

“I have sex!”

“When? And with whom?”

Sam smirks. “It’s been a few years.”

“Yeah?” Bucky raises an eyebrow. “How would you know, Wilson?”

“Double date.” He looks around at the rest of the Avengers, seeing Steve’s dark red blush out of the corner of his eye. “Rogers found her on his doorstep this afternoon.”

“You knocked someone up and didn’t even stick around?” Bucky sounds scandalized this time and Steve blows out a breath.

“I didn’t get someone pregnant, Buck. I just… Some fifteen-year-old left her on my doorstep.”

“FRIDAY, get Pepper in here, would you?” 

“Yes, sir.”

Tony stands up and walks closer, taking hold of the car seat and turning it, pulling it toward him. Callie looks at him with wide eyes. “Hey there.” She blows a spit bubble at him, and Tony smiles. “I like her.”

“Steve can’t have a baby,” Bucky states. “Steve doesn’t know what to _do_ with babies.”

For some reason, that pisses Steve off. “I do too! A little.” 

Tony reaches out and Callie grabs his finger, bringing it to her mouth and starting to gum at it. Tony smiles widely. “We’re keeping her.”

Steve straightens up and smiles. “We? You and Pepper?”

“No. Us. The Avengers.”

“No.” Sam’s voice brooks no argument. “Steve’s keeping her. We need to do a press conference and Steve and I need to go shopping. We just thought you should know.”

“We?” Bucky asks, his voice tight. “You and Steve shacking up now?”

“What the fuck, Bucky?” Steve snaps.

“Language.” Steve looks up at Natasha who has no expression on her face. She holds his gaze for a moment before smiling. “I mean it now.”

Bucky shoves back his chair and leaves the room. Clint’s walked over to Tony and Callie and is staring at her too now. “She’s what? A month? You should get a doctor’s visit. Make sure she’s got all her immunizations.”

“Laura! You and Laura have kids!” Steve beams.

“No. Nope. Uh-uh.” Clint shakes his head. “I even mention a baby -- even if Laura doesn’t have to have it -- I’m going to end up on the evening news as the star of some unsolved mystery. We have three. We are done. D.O.N.E.”

“You’re a father,” Wanda tells him, the swirling red light she has over Callie now more fascinating than Tony and Clint. “Congratulations.”

“Cigars!” Tony snaps his fingers. “We need cigars.”

“No. No cigars.” Steve glances at Callie then looks at the door Bucky’d stormed out of. “I should...Um. Tell Pepper I’ll be right back?” 

He grabs the carrier and heads off in the direction Bucky’d disappeared in. It didn’t take long to find him in the gym pounding the heavy bag like his life depended on it. He stands in the doorway for a moment before moving over to one of the weight benches. Callie starts blinking slowly, her eyes drooping. 

“Buck?

“Fuck off.”

“I didn’t get anybody pregnant. I don’t even know if I can. Everything kind of got irradiated, remember? And I haven’t had sex in… well, a long time.” Since Bucky had come back, though that didn’t need to be said. Actually, thinking back, it had been even longer than that. “It’s not my baby.”

“You fucking Wilson?”

“But someone left her with me and --” Steve’s brain screeches to a halt. “What?”

“Are. You. Fucking. Wilson.” Bucky punctuates each word with a solid jab to the bag, the final word ending with a roundhouse kick. 

Steve swallows, because he has no idea what is going on. Maybe he fell into a twilight zone episode. “Um. No?”

Bucky gives him a dirty look and kicks the bag again, this time with the full force of the heel of his foot. Steve knows disturbingly well how that move feels. Tony had gotten to the point that he started making the chains out of a mixture of adamantium and vibranium, so they can withstand Steve and Bucky using them, and the metal core helps, but Bucky’s kick sends a waterfall of sand to the ground. 

There’s a snuffling sound and Steve looks down at Callie who sighs softly in her sleep. Sounds are good, Steve knows. Means she’s still breathing. “I’m not sure what’s going on here. Can you help me out?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s obviously not.”

Bucky kicks the bag again, much softer, but another burst of sand falls out. “You called him first.”

“And?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

“Are you mad I didn’t call you to ask you what to do with a baby? When was the last time you dealt with a baby? Sam’s actually handled one this century. You wanted me to call you so we could both stare in confused horror while she screamed?”

“She screams?”

“Like a banshee.” Steve carefully pushes the carrier with his toe, and it rocks gently. “But you’re gonna have to fill me in on how you went from ‘called Sam for help with a baby’ and ‘having sex with Sam,’ because those are two very different things. I mean, given that men don’t get pregnant. As far as I know. I mean, trans men can get pregnant. Men. I mean.”

“Steve, don’t hurt yourself.” Bucky settles next to him on the bench. “I don’t know. I guess. I don’t see you much anymore unless someone’s threatening to end the world. You do stuff with Sam.”

“I call him freaked out that there’s a baby on my doorstep. I text with you as much as I do with Sam and are you seriously jealous?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.” Steve laughs. “Don’t worry, I love you most of all, Scarecrow.”

“Fuck you.” Bucky hits Steve’s shoulder with his own. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“Can’t help it. Default setting.” Steve bumps Bucky’s shoulder in retaliation, then rests his head there. “I’ve got no idea what to do with a baby.” 

“Shack up with Sam?”

“You were just being pissy about Sam.”

“Well, now that I know you love me most of all…”

Steve laughs and turns his head, kissing Bucky’s shoulder. “You’re a menace.”

“Nah.” Bucky’s voice is softer. “That’s you.”

**

There’s a press conference, and then the news outlets go crazy debating whether or not Steve has any right to be raising a baby, if he’s just opening that poor child up to a life of villains, how can he fulfill his duty as Captain America if he’s babysitting -- and the last one offends Steve on multiple levels, since you don’t babysit your own kid, if he’s even _fit_ to be a dad. Then they go off on the fact that they announced he’s going to step back from the Avengers for a while, and the whole thing starts all over again.

Steve’s lying on the floor reading as Callie wriggles on the play pad next to him and bats and kicks at the suspended toys. Tony had special felt versions of the Avenger’s made, and Steve’s pleased that she kicks at Tony the most. Seems fitting.

“Did you know Mercury is still shrinking? What are they gonna do if it gets as small as Pluto, huh? Are they going to make it a non-planet? That’s what they did with Pluto, and I can tell you, small doesn’t mean weak or incapable. Remember that.”

“You know the likelihood of her remembering any of that is next to nothing.” Bucky sits down on the couch and props his feet up on Steve’s ass, crossing one ankle over the other. 

“Doesn’t hurt to be educated. Books say babies learn stuff at a young age. Natasha said she’d teach her Russian. And Pepper said she’d teach her French. And Wanda said she could do Sokovian.”

“You raisin’ her to be a spy?”

“I want her to have a good education.” He leans over and looks Callie in the eye. “You’re gonna be the smartest kid in the class, aren’t you?”

“Her classes are going to consist of her. Of course she’s gonna be the smartest.”

“Tell Uncle Bucky that he, as usual, has no idea what he’s talking about, and we’re ignoring him.”

She bonks Steve on the nose and Bucky laughs. ‘Yeah. She loves her Uncle Bucky best of all.”

Steve makes a face at her, and Callie reaches out and pats his cheeks with slobbery fingers. “No. She loves her daddy. Don’t you, sweetheart?”

Bucky jabs his foot into Steve’s ass, laughing as Steve uses the hand Callie can’t see to flip him off. “Tummy time.”

Steve sits up and grabs Callie, rubbing his face in her stomach before setting her back on the play pad on her stomach. She gives him a look of arch betrayal and buries her head on the pad and cries. “The books all say she should love tummy time. She needs it so her neck can get strong.”

“Well, stop putting your ugly mug in her face and maybe she’d want to look up.”

Steve leans in and sing-songs in Callie’s ear. “Uncle Bucky is a jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerk.”

Bucky jabs his heel into Steve’s ass again. When Steve looks over, he looks completely unrepentant. “You say she’s gonna remember stuff and then you teach her lies.” He gets up, giving Steve a fake apologetic smile when he kicks his hip. He goes into the second bedroom, which is now a full-fledged nursery, and comes back out with a mirror. He sets it on the floor in front of Callie. “Hey, Miss Callie. Look at Uncle Bucky.”

She sobs a few times then sniffles and raises her head just a little. Her eyes catch the mirror and go wide. She’s seen herself several times, but seems fascinated each time. Steve props himself up on an elbow to watch her, smiling as she rocks forward closer to the mirror, bonking her nose against it and then looking completely offended. 

“Swear, Rogers. This kid has _got_ to be yours. She’s like a mini-you.”

“Bucky, I’m not telling you my sexual history. And tell Natasha to stop sending me the questionnaires. I know you’re behind those. She is biologically not my kid.” He rubs his hand lightly up and down her back. “She’s great though, isn’t she?”

“Eh, she’s ain’t a beauty, but yeah, she’s all right.”

“First of all, don’t insult my daughter like that, and secondly, what did I tell you about quoting Springsteen. You’re worse than the Republicans taking _Born in the USA_ out of context.”

“Could be worse. _Hungry Heart_ could be my favorite song.”

“Careful or the great state of New York is going to deport your ass to New Jersey.”

“Language.” Steve flips him off. Callie is babbling at herself in the mirror, and Bucky looks down at Steve. “You given any thought to moving back into the Tower?”

“No.” Steve answers immediately. “And I’m not going to. I want her to have a normal life. Semi-normal. As normal as we can.”

“You want her to learn three languages, and you plan on having Tony teach her advanced mathematics.”

“Normal and educated.”

“Steve, buddy. I hate to tell you, but your definition of normal might be a little skewed.” 

“So?” He shifts onto his back and pulls Callie on top of him. She grabs his T-shirt and shoves it into her mouth. “We’ll make our own normal, won’t we, sweetheart? Because your aunts and uncles make it near impossible for actual normal. But you’re gonna live in a house and go out and play in parks, and maybe when you’re older we’ll get a dog.”

“What if you meet someone?”

“I meet people all the time. There’s a lady down the road. She’s from Poland and she makes the most amazing pierogis. I helped her move a dresser.”

“That’s not what I mean. Someone. Like a girlfriend or something. Like Sharon.”

“I’m not going to meet anyone. First of all, I don’t have time to date. And secondly, where am I gonna meet someone? At the park or something?”

“Um, yes. Single moms and other moms. All the moms are going to be looking at you and thinking good old Uncle Bucky can babysit while she bangs you.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not on most mothers’ lists of potential babysitters. And I’m not interested. I’m not looking. I’ve got plenty of friends. I don’t need a relationship.” Callie starts hiccuping and so Steve grabs her and sits up, leaning against the front of the couch. “You haven’t been this worried about my sex life since before the war. What’s going on?”

“Women like a guy who’s good with kids. They’re like dogs. Chick magnets.”

“Chick magnets? Really?”

“Shut up. I watched some eighties movies the other day. Anyway. They love seeing a guy with a baby. Gets their ovaries running. Makes them forget about marriage vows and you’d feel awful if you committed adultery.”

“Committed…. Have you been drinking some of Thor’s booze? You’ve gone stark raving mad since Callie got here. Maybe _you_ have baby fever. Maybe your…. Testes are running.” Bucky stares at him, then starts laughing, falling over sideways on the floor. Steve turns back to Callie. “Ignore the crazy man.”

Bucky’s cackling gets louder and Callie bends over Steve’s arm to look at Bucky. She tilts her head and then looks back at Steve. Steve shrugs and she goes back to staring at Bucky. She eventually wriggles in Steve’s grip, so he puts her on the floor on her back next to Bucky. 

Bucky manages to stop laughing, though occasionally a huff of laughter still escapes. “Callie, Callie, Callie. I’m so sorry he’s your dad. Testes.”

“Could you not? I’d rather that not be her first word.” Steve tries to be indignant, but Bucky’s smile is soft as he looks at Callie. “”Do you? Want a baby?”

“No.”

“You sure? You and Nat had a thing in the past. And you were a big ladies’ man back in the day. Talked about settling down and having a family.”

“Deranged ex-assassin, Steve. Not Dad of the Year material.”

“You’re a great uncle. You help out with her more than anyone else.”

“You can leave other people’s kids and go home to your nice quiet life. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want. You don't have to watch what you say or what you do. You’re completely free.”

“Yeah.” Steve sighs, but it’s not wistful. He’s not like Bucky or Nat. Even before Callie, he didn’t go out. He didn’t have any wild oats he wanted to sow. “I know how much that means to you.” 

“Doesn’t mean I don’t love her.” He reaches over and runs the cool metal of his hand over the back of Callie’s head. “She’s my little Callie-button.”

“Never call her that.” 

“Callie-poo?”

“You call her _that_ and you’re changing all her namesake diapers.”

“Hey, Miss Callie.” He leans in and rubs his nose against her cheek. “Most beautiful girl in the world.”

**

“Babababababababa.” Callie holds up her arms so Steve can pull her out of the crib. “Bababa.” She pats his cheeks and gnaws on his nose which, as near as he can figure, is her version of a kiss. “Bababababababa.”

“I know. But we’re having rice cereal, chopped bananas, Cheerios, and whatever green stuff there is in the cupboard. Uncle Sam went shopping with Uncle Bucky, so it could be anything. You can’t have steak until you have at least two teeth.”

“Babababaababaaba.” 

“Yes, a convincing argument, but enchiladas require teeth too.”

She blows a raspberry as Steve puts her in the highchair. He starts feeding her, catching the Cheerios she throws at him in his mouth while she eats her rice cereal, bananas, and spinach. He’s pretty sure he can safely say all baby food looks and tastes disgusting. 

“Steve.” Natasha walks into the kitchen. “Your excuse for security is horrifying.”

“Hey, Nat.” He calmly feeds another spoonful to Callie. “You know, your aunts and uncles wonder why I don’t date, and I have to wonder if they even think that them showing up randomly and breaking into our house has anything to do with it. Don’t you?”

“If I ever thought there was a chance I’d find you en flagrante delicto, Rogers, I’d ring the doorbell. James told me that you’re going out today to Ellis Island.”

“James is a talkative one, isn’t he? Uncle Bucky can’t keep his mouth shut, can he sweetie? This is why no one shares state secrets with him.”

“Thought I’d ride along.”

Steve starts to say something to Callie, but the spoon freezes midway between them and he looks at Natasha. “What?”

“Come along. To Ellis Island. The Great Rogers Family Adventure.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Why I want to come?”

“Yeah. You don’t really seem the baby type. Or the family adventure type. I mean the kid-type I know you’re good with. I saw you with Clint’s kids. But, um. She’s not allowed to carry knives on her person.”

“I know. Give me some credit. She has to be at least three for that.”

“Daddy needs new friends.” Steve feeds Callie the spoonful before she starts to cry. “We’re not leaving for about an hour at least.”

“That’s fine. Why don’t I take over here and you can go shower, throw on some clothes.”

Steve glances down at his sweats and tank top. “I’m dressed.”

“Not to go to Ellis Island unless you want to cause an international incident.”

“Ha ha. Shut up.” He stands up and hands her the spoon. “What are you going to do if she spits up on you?”

“Rogers, do you honestly think I don’t come prepared for every contingency?”

Steve eyes her for a second, sighs, and heads to the shower. He has to admit that he’s grateful that this is one thing his friends are definitely good for. They watch and take care of Callie sp that he has the opportunity to take a nice long shower. He’s only fallen asleep in there three times, but it’s gotten better since Callie’s actually sleeping through the night most of the time. He doesn’t need a lot of sleep, but she’s done her best to find his limits.

He turns the water to hot and strips down. He’s lost some weight and muscle mass since Callie had come along, though he’s gotten into the habit of going to the Tower at least once a week to work out. Pepper and Wanda have made it mandatory, since they want Callie-time. The first time, he’d managed about ten minutes on the treadmill before he’d had to go and find them, but he’s managed to get his body back into its routine.

Still, while he’s not happy with the state he’s in, he wouldn't change anything. He gets in the shower and closes his eyes, letting the water sluice over him. It’s been a couple of days since anyone’s been over. Steve figures they think that since Callie’s talking he doesn’t need any conversation, just because they’re assholes. So the shower feels good, so much better than the quick ones he takes while Callie is sleeping. 

He washes his hair and scrubs himself down, letting the water run from the top of his head to his toes, washing the suds away. He braces himself on both arms against the wall beside the handles and just breathes. He glances in the direction of the door and sighs. He hasn’t jerked off in the entire four months he’s had Callie. Hadn’t wanted to the first month, hadn’t thought about it the second, hadn’t _let_ himself think about it the third month, and now he can’t seem to stop thinking about it. 

But Natasha has Callie and would protect her with her life. Every single Avenger is on Callie standby. Steve’s pretty sure that, if it came down to saving Callie or saving the world, they would all actually have to think about their answer. Fuck, he loves his friends.

Steve scrubs conditioner through his hair, because he’s not going to jerk off, except he’s wrapping his slick hand around his cock and doing it. He keeps his mind blank and just focuses on the feeling, because anything else is dangerous. It doesn’t take him long to come, and he’d be embarrassed by it, except he comes for a while, and it feels like it’s ripped out of him. His legs feel weak and he has to lean against the wall to cool down.

He gets out, dries off, and gets dressed quickly, leaving everything else behind in the bathroom. Because keeping his mind blank has never once worked in his lifetime. When he comes out into the living room, Callie's dressed and Natasha is wearing one of Steve’s t-shirts.

“That’s your plan for any eventuality.”

She shrugs and the collar falls over her shoulder. “Works.”

“Pretty sure you could fit two of you in there.”

“You couldn’t handle two of me.”

“Not sure I can handle one.” 

She grins at him, sharp and hungry in the way he’s seen her use on marks, which is the way that makes something inside Steve curl in on itself. It also makes something inside him end up jerking off inside the shower. And, coupled with her wearing his shirt, Steve knows it’s going to be a long day.

“I’m going to get her lunch. You want to get some clothes and diaper stuff for the bag?”

“Please. Like you don’t have her go-bag ready at all times.” She stands and puts Callie on her hip and walks off to the bedroom. Steve honestly hasn't thought of a family since Peggy, and something in the sway of Natasha’s hips brings the memory and feeling on with a vengeance. 

Steve loves Natasha, and he doesn’t lie to himself, so he admits that he’d sleep with her -- again. If she asked -- but that’s not who they are to each other. He doesn’t want this with her, and he doesn’t think she’d ever want it for herself. But something like this could have been his life once. He likes to think he could have let it if he hadn’t had to crash the plane, even though he knows that he couldn’t have, not if Bucky hadn’t died. Not even if he had.

“Quit staring at my ass, Rogers.”

“Language.” She laughs and it’s rich and throaty. “Hey, Nat?”

She stops and turns to face him. “No.”

“No what?”

“No whatever you were going to ask me.”

He nods and heads for the kitchen. “Okay. That’s what I thought.”

**

Ellis Island is crowded, but Callie loves people, and the ferry ride they’d taken to get there had her screaming in delight. She batted at the wind and yelled at the ocean. Her face was pink with it, since Steve had the stroller hood up and used his body to protect her from the bulk of the wind. Now, on the island, she stares up at the Statue of Liberty and babbles to people, and whatever undercover magic Natasha has seems to make them a regular family and not Captain America and Black Widow taking his kid out for a stroll.

“So she’s your mom, right? You just appeared at the foot of the Statue of Liberty clad in red, white, and blue?”

“Very funny.”

“I am.” She hands a Cheerios to Callie. 

“But my parents came through here. The Smithsonian has the book they signed in my exhibit or I’d show it to you. Joseph and Sarah Rogers.”

“You miss them?”

He knows Natasha doesn’t have parents, that she hasn’t since she was too young to remember. “Not him so much. I didn’t really know him. He died not long after I was born. Probably the only reason I survived was because my mother stubbornly took care of me in her grief because she wasn’t about to lose someone else. She could have. Maybe found a different life, but that was giving up.”

“And the Rogers clan doesn’t do that.”

“Not as far as I can gather from the two examples I have.” He keeps walking, glancing down to see Callie half asleep. “But, yeah. For me it’s been a lot less time since it happened than it has been for everyone else. She was gone though. Before all of this, so I’ve come to terms with grieving for her.”

“Unlike Barnes.”

“Yeah, well. Bucky and me…”

“Yes, I know.” She takes over the stroller, and Steve shoves his hands in his pockets. “He wasn’t Bucky Barnes when we were together, you know.”

“I know. Wouldn’t matter either way though.” He shakes his head. “Look, I know you think I need someone to be happy, but I don’t. And even if I did, I’ve got no clue why you think Bucky has anything to do with it. I mean, yeah, he’d probably demand approval on whoever it was. Not that I’d listen, mind you.”

“He loves you.”

“I know. I love him.”

“No, Steve. He loves you the _way_ you love him.”

“Wow.” Steve shakes his head and refuses to look at her, which is just as good as lying. “I don’t know where you and Sam got this crazy idea, but me and Bucky are friends. Best friends. He was the only friend I had for most of my life. He stuck with me through a lot of shit, and I have absolutely no idea why. His life probably would have been a fuck-ton better if it weren’t for throwing his lot in with me. But whatever else you think there is, you’re wrong.”

“Why would Sam and I lie about this?” 

“I didn’t say you were lying. I think maybe you believe it. But you’re wrong. Don’t worry about it. Trust me, I heard much worse than that when I was younger. Pick any derogatory word that could have been said, and I promise I heard it. Well, there were a few ethnic ones there was no way they could use against me, but there’s pretty much nothing you could say to or about me that I haven’t already heard.”

“But you don’t deny you feel that way about him?” They’re making their way around the island, taking their time. Callie’s still asleep, and Natasha randomly eats one of her Cheerios. 

“I don’t know how to describe what Bucky and I have. We’re family. Home. We’re just… I don’t know. You go through what we’ve gone through and it’s different. You need different things. Want different things.”

“I know you can’t believe you’re fooling me, so you must either really believe it or be desperate to convince yourself. I was raised in my own hell. It doesn’t mean that because I’ve come out of it, I don’t want the things they said I couldn’t have, I didn’t need, I couldn’t want.”

“I don’t want any of those things though. I never thought I’d get them until I met Peggy, and after that… Well. It was war. None of us knew if we were going to survive the next hour, much less through the war. I made a choice, and that meant giving up all those things. And I did it knowing that.”

“But you’re alive now.”

“I’m figuring out how to be a dad.” Steve stops and waits for Natasha to look at him. “That’s enough, okay?”

She holds his gaze for a long moment, then sighs. “Fine. But you’re buying lunch.”

“I paid for the Cheerios you’ve been eating.”

“Oh, just for that, you’re going to pay _dearly_ for lunch.”

**

When Steve looks up there are three very concerned Avengers staring at him. Tony, Clint, and Sam are all standing just inside the room, all of them dressed in underclothes or pajama pants or sweats. Clint immediately reaches up to his ear and turns down his hearing aid.

Steve envies him in a small way as he turns on his heel and paces back to the other side of the room. The Avengers’ main floor has a vast amount of space so he has a lot of room. And he needs it given that Callie hasn’t stopped crying for three hours -- despite the icy teething rings, Anbesol on her gums, and baby Tylenol for her fever -- and shows no signs of stopping. Or even slowing. 

Steve’s got her against his shoulder and he’s patting her back. When he reaches the wall, he turns around and just stays there for a moment, swaying from side to side, bouncing slightly. He’s used up his limited repertoire of lullabies and classical tunes and he’s rapidly approaching the point of begging.

“FRIDAY?” Sam asks. “Can you put on some soft music and dim the lights a little more?”

“I told you, Sam, I’m not that kind of girl,” Clint says, hands covering his mouth in feigned shock. “What will my mother think?”

Tony rolls his eyes and walks over. “Hand her over.”

“What?” Steve asks, stopping mid-bounce and earning himself a hiccupping sob. 

“You look like you’re about to drop. Let Uncle Tony have a shift.” He holds out his hands expectantly. “C’mon. I can’t do worse than you.”

“Is that a challenge?” Clint asks. “That seems like a challenge.”

Steve looks at Callie in utter confusion. She keeps whimpering and sobbing and he can tell the next scream is coming. He’s about to say something, to turn Tony down, when he looks at Tony’s face. There’s something there. Fear? Uncertainty? Like he’s waiting for Steve to tell him he doesn’t trust him. 

“There’s… There’s another teething ring in the freezer for when this one warms up.” He hands her over to Tony carefully, and Tony pulls her against his chest. He looks down at her and gives her a smile that Steve doesn’t think he’s ever seen on Tony’s face before. 

“Hey, sweetheart.” Tony says softly. “You wanna dance with your Uncle Tony?” He starts swaying and humming and Steve stares in shock. Callie’s still whimpering and the scream doesn’t seem too far off, but she’s looking at Tony with huge eyes as her hand presses over the arc reactor. He recognizes the song Tony’s humming -- _Let Me Call You Sweetheart_ \-- and, for a second, he tries to imagine his father doing the same to him. He doesn’t remember his dad, and so no picture comes to mind. He tries to imagine Howard doing the same to Tony, and that seems even more impossible.

“Hey,” Sam touches Steve’s shoulder. “You look like you could use a few days of sleep. We’ll toss you in Barnes’s spare room. He’s out on a mission, so he’s not gonna care.”

“I can stay out here. It’s fine.” 

Sam turns Steve and Clint helps him start pushing. “Bed. A real bed. Sleep. Now. Between the three of us and whoever else wakes up, we’ve got Callie covered. Think of us as really cheap babysitters.”

“You’ll wake me if anything happens? If she needs me?”

“Yeah, Steve. We will.” They take Steve to Bucky’s floor and FRIDAY unlocks it, letting them shove Steve into the guest bedroom. 

“I’m not tired. I really don’t think I can…” He breaks off with a huge yawn. When he opens his eyes, they’re both looking at him. Judging him. “Fine. Sleep.”

“FRIDAY. Keep an eye on the guy, huh? Let us know if he wakes up or gets up or otherwise tries to freak out about his kid, okay?”

“Of course, Mr. Wilson. Goodnight, Captain.”

Steve nods and undoes his jeans. He’d gotten rid of his boots and socks, leaving them in the common room, so taking off his pants leaves him in a t-shirt and boxer briefs before he remembers he’s not alone. “Thanks, Sam. Clint.”

“No problem, Cap.” Clint salutes him and turns off the light. “And nice legs.”

Sam follows him out of the room, glancing back over his shoulder as he shuts the door. “We got her covered. Get some rest.”

**

Steve starts to roll over, but he feels something against his spine and stops. He shifts before he moves and turns carefully. Callie is on the bed beside him, and Tony is passed out next to her. Steve huffs a soft laugh and gets off the bed, taking the pillows he’d slept on and making a barrier where his body had been so Callie can’t roll off. 

He walks out into the living room, arms over his head, stretching and groaning low. He scratches his stomach and adjusts himself in his boxer briefs, freezing as he hits the living room and sees the rest of the Avengers sitting around the coffee table with three boxes of doughnuts and two of Tony’s portable coffee machines. 

“Uh. Hi.”

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Bucky glances at his watch. “Or good evening. “

“What do you mean, evening?”

“You slept for precisely fifteen hours and thirty-two minutes, Captain,” FRIDAY informs him. “It is now six fifty-seven PM.”

“Oh.” Steve feels lightheaded, grabbing the back of the couch. “I. Um.”

“Don’t worry,” Sam waves at him. “We’ve all been taking turns and she’s pretty much exhausted herself. And Tony. It’s been unnervingly quiet.” 

“Okay. Well. I’m… I’m going to go put on pants.” He glances around, carefully avoiding Wanda’s gaze. “I’ll. Yeah.” He gives them a weak wave, then hurries back into the guest room. Callie’s still asleep, curled up and holding on to Tony’s finger for dear life. Hopefully he’ll have circulation in it when she’s done. He tugs his jeans on and stares down at her. 

God, he’s head over heels for this kid.

“Hey.” 

He looks up and Bucky’s standing in the doorway, leaning against it. Steve smiles and heads toward him, slipping into the hallway as Bucky moves back so they don’t wake Tony or Callie. “Sorry about the whole half-naked part. They said you were on a mission and I didn’t expect the rest of the team to be there.”

“It’s fine.”

“Normally I don’t do that in front of people.”

“What?” Bucky asks softly, teasing. “Act like a human? Steve, every single guy that was in that room has scratched their balls. Every single woman has taken off their bra with their shirt on and rubbed it underneath their boobs to get rid of sweat. Maybe Captain America doesn't have to shift the boys around, but Steve Rogers has been doing it since he figured out what his dick was.”

“I don’t suppose I can hope that’s the crass version of that speech.”

“Not on your life.” He grins widely and goes back into the living room. One box of doughnuts is still there, but the other two, as well as the other Avengers, have disappeared. “Clint said she’s teething.”

“She has a whole mouthful of this to go. She looks at me like I’ve betrayed her somehow.” Steve runs a hand through his hair and collapses on the couch. “Seriously, I can hear her thinking, ‘How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me.’ It’s like she’s somehow channelling both of our mothers are once.The Jewish and Catholic guilt.”

“Get some carbs in your system before you get any more dramatic.” Bucky sits down on the couch and shoves the box closer to Steve. “You still look like shit warmed over. You know you’re not alone in this. I wish you’d actually remember and take advantage of it.”

“I came over last night.” Steve picks one of the doughnuts and takes a huge bite out of it, chewing and swallowing before licking glaze off his lips. “Besides. You guys are busy.”

“We’re family.” Bucky watches Steve as he demolishes the rest of the doughnut, licking his fingers. When Steve doesn’t respond, Bucky sighs and gets up, moving so he’s sitting next to him. “You know that, right?”

“Yeah. But you’ve all got lives. Relationships and dates and missions and activities. You guys go to bars and go dancing. Practice. I’m not going to ask you guys to interrupt your lives for us.”

“How can you be this smart and this dumb all at once? We _want_ to help. We all love her and we all love you.”

“It’s different.” Steve shrugs. “I took this on. The responsibility and everything that goes with it. None of you did. What kind of life are you gonna have, huh? Hanging around with her all the time? With me? I saw the _People_ magazine cover. _The World’s Mightiest (and Hottest) Heroes_. You can’t find someone when I’ve got you on babysitting duty.” 

“Right.” Bucky’s jaw goes tight and he stands up, striding back toward the bedrooms. “Stark!” He practically shouts. “Get your ass up. We’ve got shit to do.”

Steve can hear Tony blunder around, then fall off the bed before he resumes being Tony. Steve doesn’t watch as Bucky practically forces Tony through the front door. It slams shut behind them.

And Callie starts crying.

**

“You don’t come to the Tower anymore.” Wanda is holding Callie’s hands and letting her bounce on her legs. She’s making faces at her, which makes Callie laugh in delight. Steve’s watching from the kitchen where he’s leaning on the counter. “We miss you.”

“Captain America is old news. You guys make a great team these days.” A better team, though he’s loathe to admit it. His sense of right and wrong don’t always work for a gray-shaded world. “We’re going to get a bigger place so I can have a built-in gym. The one I go to is nice, but it’s weird sometimes. People coming up to me, which, you know. I’m used to. But I don’t like it when they come up to her.”

“I can understand that.” A tinge of red surrounds Callie and she bounces up high to the apex of Wanda’s reach. It’s not like Wanda would let her fall, but Steve’s heart rises up into his throat anyway. “Of course, there’s always the Tower. The gym and training room are often empty.”

“I’m not an Avenger anymore.” No official announcement has been made, but Steve hasn’t been on a mission since Callie showed up on his doorstep. 

“You’re part of the family. I thought we’d all explained that to you enough.”

“And I’ve explained to you guys that Callie and I can get by on our own.”

“Mm.” Wanda brings Callie back down so she can bounce on her legs again. “You don’t have to though.”

The statement hits Steve in the solar plexus. “Get out of my head, Wanda.”

She looks at him, frowning sharply. “I’m not in your head.”

“I know. Shit. I know. Sorry.” He rubs his forehead. “It’s just...something someone said to me once. But it was just my mother and me.”

“Because you didn’t have any choice. And eventually you had Bucky. Why are you pushing us away, Steve? Are you worried you’re in danger around us? That she is?”

“No more so than when she’s with me. I just really wish you guys would let this go. You’re all welcome over here anytime, and you know it. I’m not keeping you out of our lives.”

She stands up and settles Callie on her hip. Callie immediately grabs Wanda’s hair. She’s fascinated with both Wanda and Natasha’s red hair, playing with it whenever she can. Walking over to Steve, Wanda looks him in the eye. It always makes him hurt to see the _age_ in her gaze. “Tell me, if I looked here.” She taps his temple. “Is that what I’d see?”

There’s a knock on the door and Steve slips around her to answer it about the same time Vision phases his way through the door. “Hello, Captain.”

“Hey, Viz. Again. Doors. Remember?”

“Ah, yes. My apologies.” Vision gives Steve a quick head bob. Callie squeals in delight and reaches out for Vision, practically tumbling out of Wanda’s arms to get to him. Vision takes her and holds her up so they’re face fo face. Callie pats his face and then leans in and pushes the Mind Stone like it’s a button on one of her toys. The stone lights up and, as far as any of them can tell, it just does it for her. She laughs in delight and does it again. ”Bada.”

Steve shrugs. “It’s her new word.” 

Callie pushes the button, blows a raspberry and then giggles again. Steve’s pretty sure he loves her even more in that moment than he has before. “Bababababa da.” She turns and holds her arms out for Steve and he takes her from Vision. “Ba dada.”

Wanda sucks in a breath and Steve’s not sure what he does. Vision tilts his head in question. Steve swallows hard. “Did she…”

“I think so.” Wanda’s eyes are wide. “Oh, Steve, that’s amazing.”

Callie pats Steve’s face and gives his nose a smacking kiss. “Dada.”

Steve has to sit down. “She called me dada.” Vision looks at Wanda, obviously confused. Steve only catches it out of the corner of his eye, because he’s too busy staring at Callie. “Hey, Callie-bear.”

“Dada. Dada. Dada.”

Steve pulls her close and holds her, burying his face in her neck and inhaling the clean smell of her -- baby powder and shampoo and laundry detergent and the tinge of the bananas she’d had earlier. His chest feels too full, and he can feel tears sting his eyes. He hears Wanda walk over to him after whispering something to Vision, then feels her fingers comb through his hair. 

“You want us to go?”

“I…”

She kisses the top of his head. “Have a good night.”

Steve looks up at her, and he can feel the damp area on Callie’s shoulder where he couldn’t quite hold his tears in. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

**

“...tactical uses; however…” Rhodey stops dead when the conference room door bursts open. Steve freezes, looks around at the suddenly battle-ready Avengers and clears his throat.

“Um. Hi.”

“Everything okay?” Natasha asks.

“Yeah. I just… Um, you guys got a minute?”

“No,” Tony says. “Not for you. But for her.” He points to Callie in Steve’s arms. “Always.”

“Good. This is about her.” Steve goes down on one knee and sets Callie on the floor. “Go ahead, monkey.”

She wrinkles her nose at him, then claps. “Bubu! Dada! Bubu!!” She holds her hands out toward Bucky. He starts to stand up to go to her, but Steve holds up a hand and lets Callie go. Bucky frowns and then the entire rooms seems to gasp as Callie starts crawling rapidly forward. She steams toward Bucky, only stopping when she runs into his legs. She drops back onto her butt, frowns angrily and holds her hands up. “Bubu!”

“Holy shit, she can crawl!” Bucky glares at Steve. “Why didn’t you tell me she could crawl?”

“I just _did_.”

“She has a name for Bucky?” Nat asks, an eyebrow raised sharply

“She has names for all of you.”

Tony frowns. “But she never sees us.”

“There are pictures.” He stands up and goes over to where Bucky is holding Callie. He points at Nat. “Callie, who’s that?”

“Na-ta.”

“And him?” He asks, pointing at Clint.”

“Tin!”

“Hey!” Tony protests. “I’m the metal man around here.”

Steve shakes his head. “Him?”

“Ne!” Steve points to the rest getting a “Bo!” for Rhodey, a “Bis!” for Vision, a “Wa-na” for Wanda, and an “Am!” for Sam. Sam’s the only one who’s been over with any kind of frequency, so he’s not surprised by the name.

“You knew about this, Wilson?”

“Nah. I just thought I was special. Not my fault the rest of y’all don’t call for a coffee date. I know you don’t think I’ve been making those pastries.”

“We figured you were buying... Steve Rogers! Are you baking?” Tony gasps, and Steve’s not sure if it’s from the shock of Steve baking or if it’s from the thought that things just don’t magically appear.

“Some. A little. Cooking. She’s on solid foods more now. She’s got six teeth.” Steve glances over and Bucky is flat-out staring at him like he’s grown another head. Instinctively Steve takes a step back and ducks his head, shoulders hunching in. “I should… Sorry I interrupted your meeting. I just got excited.”

“It’s fine,” Rhodey says, smiling, obviously pleased that he’s got a name of his own from Callie. “You should update us more. Email us pictures.”

“Oh. Yeah. I could do that. I’ll do that.” He scratches the back of his head and looks around, giving them all a shy smile. He’s seen them occasionally, but he knows he’s distanced himself. It just seemed the right thing to do. Not to impose on what little down time they all had. “I should let you get back to work.”

Whatever Rhodey’s about to say gets cut off by Bucky. “We were gonna take a break. Weren’t we?”

Rhodey glances at Tony who glances at Natasha who nods. “Yes,” they both say at the same time. 

“Right.” Bucky taps Callie’s nose with his metal fingertip. “Let’s go for a walk, Miss Callie. Your dad can come too if he wants.”

“If I…” Steve stands there for a moment and watches Bucky leave the room before hurrying off after him. The door to the stairwell is swinging shut when he reaches the hallway, so he ducks inside to see Bucky holding Callie close and jogging down the stairs with her. “What the fuck?”

“Language!”

Steve growls and jumps from landing to landing until he’s caught up with them. “What’s going on.”

“Callie and I are going for a walk. Taking in the sights.”

“Of the Tower stairwells.”

“In this case, it’s the destination, not the journey.” He leads them down a few more floors, then opens a door. Steve doesn’t recognize the place. It’s set up like an apartment, but it doesn’t look lived in. Bucky strides through and Steve follows. Where the guest room of all the other suites is set up there’s a nursery. Far too many toys, all of them suspiciously similar to ones Steve has at home, gifts from the team. 

“What’s this?”

“Callie’s room.”

“I…”

“Shut up.” Bucky takes Callie over to the playpen and sets her in it. She sits on the floor of it and blinks up at him. “Uncle Bucky is going to have a talk with your daddy. You hang out here and play, okay?” He grabs a stuffed teddy bear off the shelf -- a direct replica of her “nigh-night bear” that Bucky had given her the day they’d gotten the nursery set up in Steve’s place. “I promise to bring him back in one piece.”

He taps her nose and straightens. Steve keeps staring at him, wondering where exactly he lost his grip on what’s going on. “What do you mean, Callie’s room?”

“Tony hoped -- hell, we all hoped -- that you guys would move into the Tower. For a ton of reasons including security and safety, but also because every single one of us loves that kid. And you, you stubborn shithead, are our friend. And this whole ‘she and I can get by on our own’ crap? That ends _now_.”

“Wanda told you about that?”

“She came home practically floating, telling all of us how Callie called you dada and how they didn’t want to leave, but you wanted them to, and then she came to me later and told me what you said, and do you think that? Really? You’ve still got that stupid, fucked-up idea in your head?”

“She deserves a normal life.”

“You are Captain America, Steve. Even if you don’t put on the uniform ever again, that’s part of who you are. You’re always going to have that guy’s shadow looming over you. And I, for one, am really fucking sick of you using your pride as a way to keep yourself from getting hurt.”

“What?” Steve’s shoulders straighten and he pulls himself up to his full height. Bucky’s mouth twitches like he’s not surprised by the reaction, like he’s amused by it. 

“You think if you don’t let anybody in, if you don’t let them get close, they can’t hurt you. You can’t get hurt. But I see you, Steve. I see you look at us when you come here, when any of us visit you. You _want_ this. You want a family. You’ve always wanted it. You make families wherever you go, and for fuck’s sake, we don’t give a shit if you’re not carrying the shield anymore. You belong here.”

“I…”

“We want you here, Steve.” Bucky exhales slowly. “ _I_ want you here.” Steve opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Bucky shakes his head. “I know. I know you’re not going to move in here, and I know Tony’s creepy alternate dimension floor is more than a little over the top. I know you love your place and the life you’ve got that’s not part of this, but this still needs to be part of your life. Because, here’s the thing, your arguments? They suck. You show up for a movie night and Wanda and Vision have a date? You’re not keeping them from it. You come and hang out and Nat’s on a mission? You get to hang out with the rest of us. We all know how to live our lives, Steve. And if you guys were around more, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal when you _did_ show up. And we’d all know that she knows all of us.”

“I’m being a selfish dick is what you’re saying.”

Bucky bobs his head from side to side. “Um. Yes.” Steve laughs softly and closes his eyes. Bucky grabs the back of Steve’s neck and pulls him in so his forehead is on Bucky’s shoulder. “Dada, huh?”

“Yeah.” Steve’s shocked at the sound of his voice, at the watery hint of tears clogging his throat. “Never thought I’d ever hear that, you know?”

“Yeah.” Bucky strokes his palm over the back of Steve’s head. “She’s lucky to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one. I have her and I have all of you.” He lifts his head and Bucky lets him move back. “And I have you. Not sure how I got lucky enough to have you.”

Bucky leans in and Steve’s breathing stops. They stay there for a moment, and Steve feels suspended, like there’s no ground beneath, but something is still about to come crashing down on top of him. Bucky rests his forehead against Steve’s, and the air seems to rush back into the room. “Not sure how you did either.”

Steve starts laughing. “Asshole.” 

“Dada Bubu!”

“Daddy Bucky,” Bucky strokes his chin. “I like that.”

“Save your kinks for the bedroom, Barnes.” 

“You’re the one whose mind went there, Rogers. Not _me_.” Bucky shoves Steve back against the wall and takes off down the hallway to Callie’s room. Steve recovers quickly, lunging at Bucky from behind and tackling him to the ground. They both grunt at the landing, then Bucky elbows Steve off and the both roll onto their backs on the floor.

Callie is standing up in the playpen, holding onto the sides. The look on her face is the same one Natasha gives any of them when they’re acting too much like, as she puts it, _boys_. “Hey, monkey.”

“Bubu poo.”

Steve elbows Bucky in the side. “You’re changing the diaper. She put in a special request.”

“And here I thought you loved me, Miss Callie-bear.”

“Bubu poo.” She narrows her eyes at him and purses her mouth. “Poo no.”

Bucky sighs and gets to his feet, picking Callie up. “Yes, ma’am.” He deliberately steps on Steve’s stomach rather than stepping over him, putting all his weight down for a moment. Steve “oof”s and Bucky just grins. “So, let’s see how good Uncle Tony is at keeping this stocked, because if all the diapers are from when you were last here, we’re going to have a size problem. And your daddy left your diaper bag upstairs, didn’t he? Yes he did, because he doesn’t think ahead. Most brilliant military mind since Alexander the Great, yes. Built like a brick shithouse. Yes. Dumber than a box of rocks. Yes. Yes, he is.”

Steve’s turned on his stomach and is watching them, his chin propped up on his fist. He can feel his smile stretched wide across his face.

“Wait until I tell you all about him. You’ll die of embarrassment. You’ll disown him. I’ve tried multiple times, but nooooooo. He makes you come back. Doesn’t even try. You’ll see him throw a motorcycle at something and realize if you aren’t there, he’ll get his dumb ass killed. Yes you will.”

“Language.”

“Your daddy swears like a sailor, which is the only serviceman who swears more and better than an Army man, and that is the only good thing you’ll ever hear me say about the Navy. Your daddy has a potty-mouth, so don’t let him fool you. If his mother could hear him, lord, Miss Sarah Rogers, bless her immortal soul, would hang her head in shame.”

“Nice.” Steve sits up, crossing his legs as Bucky brings Callie back. He hands her to Steve, then sits down beside him, shifting to lie on the ground, his head on Steve’s thigh. “Hey.”

“MIssed you, you numbskull.” 

Callie settles on Steve’s lap and starts patting Bucky’s head. “Bubu.” 

Bucky catches her other hand and brings it to his mouth, giving it a kiss. “Yeah, missed you too, baby.”

**

Steve jerks awake as his phone starts bleating. He hasn’t heard the sound for almost a year now. Even with that, he’s moving before he even processes what it means. Undergarments, pants, jacket, boots. Earpiece, gloves, shield, cowl.

And then he freezes, because along with the bleat of the alarm, there’s another noise. He goes to his phone and hits the confirm button that silences the alarm, and goes to the other sound. Callie’s sitting in her crib crying, her hands clamped over her ears. Steve strips off his gloves and goes over to her, carefully pulling her into his arms. “Hey. Hey. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m sorry it scared you.”

“Cap, copter on your roof in five,” Clint’s voice sounds slightly metallic in the comms. “Even comes with a car seat.”

“Yeah. Roger.” He gives Callie a smile that hopefully doesn’t scare her, considering how suddenly horrifically frightened he is. “Let’s get you in some warm clothes, monkey.”

He gets her in a fuzzy suit, her jacket, a pair of boots, and a hat. He holds her close to him as he climbs onto the roof, standing out of the way of where Clint has the helicopter hovering. Natasha leans out the door and Steve hands her Callie and the diaper bag, then hauls himself up inside. The door shuts, which cuts down the wind, but Natasha hands him noise-cancelling headphones like the ones she’s already got on Callie.

“Sorry,” she says the headphones not interfering with the comms. “Briefing now or you want to wait until she’s settled.”

“Now. But be prepared to repeat it.”

Just as Natasha opens her mouth, Clint speaks. “Robot army.”

Steve slumps back into his seat as well as he can while wearing the shield. “Again?”

“Different robots?” Clint gives him a thumbs-up signal and then they’re landing on top of the Tower. Steve grabs Callie and the diaper bag and hurries over to the open elevator doors. Pepper reaches out and takes Callie and the diaper bag, laughing shakily as Steve grabs his cowl and gloves out of it. 

“Take care of her.” 

Pepper nods. “Tony’s got a place for us. We won’t come out until we get the all clear. I won’t let anything happen to her, Steve.”

“Thanks.” He leans in and gives Pepper a quick kiss on the check and then just breathes against the top of Callie’s head. “Love you, Callie. Be back as soon as I can.”

“Rogers!”

Steve gives Callie one more kiss, then runs back and jumps in the copter. Clint’s flying off by the time Steve’s mostly on board. He gives Clint a look, but settles into the seat as they head toward the fight. Natasha grabs Steve’s arm and leans in close, even though she doesn’t need to.

“No jumping without a parachute anymore. You’ve got someone who needs you now.”

“You didn’t need me before, Romanoff?”

“I can survive without you. She can’t.” She smiles wickedly. “And Barnes is a toss-up.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Just give me the details.”

**

Robot Army is a bit of a misnomer. Hundreds of robots taller than Scott had been during the fight at the Leipzig airport rampaging through a huge chunk of New York and New Jersey with giant laser cannons would be a better description. Tony and Rhodey are dragging the main processor of one, carrying it between them as they fly back to the Tower. There’s already machinery on its way to get a full body of another one to the lab. 

Vision managed to find the person responsible, eventually ending the battle before guiding the man out of his own laboratory and into custody. There are a lot of unanswered questions, since he refuses to explain how and where he managed to get and store hundreds of giant robots. As it is, the Avengers have no idea where to put them _now_.

They’re heading back in the copter when Steve hears Tony yell, “Shit!” and then Rhodey yelling that he can’t carry this thing by himself followed by a lot of noise. Clint glances back at Steve and Nat. “I’m on it.” He goes to the Tower quickly, faster than Steve thinks they should be able to. Even from the air, Steve can see the huge crater at the base of the building. He stares at that, because it’s easier than looking at the Tower, the top of which -- where he’d given Callie over to Pepper -- is gone.

“Rogers!” Bucky’s voice shakes Steve out of his staring. “Get down here. Rhodey was trying to slow the damn thing down, and he’s underneath it. Need some super strength, buddy.”

“Right. Yeah. I’ll…”

“Got it, Cap.” Clint takes the copter down between the buildings, possibly defying the laws of physics, but Steve doesn’t even pretend it surprises him anymore. “Okay, this is as close as I can get you.”

Steve looks down. It’s not a horrible drop to the ground. He’s certainly done worse before. Natasha just shrugs. “Go. Don’t get hurt.”

He jumps out the door, angling himself behind his shield so he can control his landing. He’s curling up into a ball to brace for impact when he gets hit hard from the side, body flipped and turned. He lands hard, but much softer than he should have. Getting up, he looks over at Bucky.

“Really?”

“”What? I let you land on me.”

“I can take care of myself,” Steve reminds him, ignoring Bucky’s scowl as he pulls him off the ground. “Let’s go help Rhodey.”

“Yeah.” 

“Colonel Rhodes’s vitals are faint, but stable, Captain Rogers.” FRIDAY informs them. 

“Thanks, FRIDAY.” Steve jogs alongside Bucky to the crater, doing his best not to look up at the Tower. He can’t panic yet, because he has a job to do. A job he needs to retire from immediately. They both step into the crater and heave, pulling the processor up. 

Rhodey lies there not moving. The suit is slightly crushed, and Steve winces, helping Bucky set the processor down before climbing down into the crater. Bucky drops down beside him and steps over Rhodey, then squats down beside him.

“Rhodes?” They can hear his shallow breathing through their comms. “Can you tell if he’s conscious, FRIDAY?”

“Gonna…” Rhodey’s voice is weak and trembles. “Gonna kill Tony.”

Steve and Bucky both huff something like a laugh and carefully pull Rhodey to his feet. “FRIDAY, can you take control of the suit and get Rhodey up to med bay?”

“Would you both like a ride, sirs? Stark engineers are incoming to take care of the processor.”

“You sure he’s up for it?”

“No problem, sirs.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY.” Steve’s heart rate speeds up, the thought of finding Callie suddenly at the front of his mind, not pounding at the back of his skull. They grab onto Rhodey and he manages to wrap his arms around their waists. 

“Elevator going up,” Rhodey manages, his voice weak. 

A huge chunk at the top of the Tower is missing, at least a third of it crashed to the ground or dangling concrete clinging to rebar. Steve’s heart drops, feeling like it’s been left on the ground when the suit had started upward. The penthouse is somewhere on the ground below. The penthouse where Tony and Pepper live. The penthouse where Pepper had likely taken Callie.

“Steve. Steve!” Steve shakes his head, trying to clear it after the stinging backhand Bucky gives him. His vision clears. “We’re here. C’mon.”

Steve looks around, surprised to find himself in the common room, the light pollution of New York directly above instead of the thirty or so stories that normally top it. He looks around again and then drops to his knees, closing his eyes. “She’s gone?” His voice breaks and he looks at Bucky. “My baby’s gone?”

Vision appears and picks Rhodey up in a bridal-style life. “Colonel. Mr. Stark has had a temporary medical area. He asked that I take you there immediately.”

No one has a chance to say anything before they’re both gone. Bucky sinks down next to Steve, reaching out and rubbing his hand up and down along Steve’s spine. ”Steve…”

Steve closes his eyes tight and bends forward, pressing his forehead against his thighs. There’s a horrible noise caught in his throat, grief hot and boiling, burning in his chest. Even Bucky falling hadn’t felt like this. Callie was innocent. She _needed_ him and he let her down.

Bucky leans closer, resting his head against Steve’s side. He doesn’t say anything else, just offers the weight of his presence. There’s a distant sound of another piece of the building crumbling away, and it serves as a hammer against Steve’s control. He cries out, and even with his thighs muffling the sound, it rings around the room.

“Jesus.” There’s an awed horror in Clint’s voice as he walks in the room. He obviously has his hearing aids off, because Steve’s cry doesn’t even seem to faze him. Even over the helpless noise Steve is making, he can tell Natasha walks in following Clint. 

Bucky jabs Steve hard in the side. Steve’s breath hiccups, the sound of his loss stuttered. ”Steve.”

He wants to tell Bucky to fuck off. He wants everything to disappear because he’s already lost everything. He ignores Bucky, ignores the distant sound of helicopters that are no doubt documenting the devastation they left in their wake. 

“Steve.”

“Dada?”

Steve’s head snaps up. Callie is in Natasha’s arms. She’s still dressed in her pajamas, face flushed from sleep, creased from the bed on her face. “Dada.”

Steve lunges to his feet, nearly tripping over himself as he rushes over. He grabs Natasha and pulls her close because it’s easier to grab her than use the care he’d have to to take Callie from her. “Oh god, Callie. Baby girl.”

“Pepper had her down in one of the interrogation rooms. Nice and solid and safe. She’s okay, Steve. Tony wouldn’t have let anything happen to her.”

Steve presses his face against Callie’s head, feeling her breath on his skin above the collar of his suit. He drops down so his forehead is on Natasha’s shoulder and he’s effectively surrounded by the two of them. “Thank God. I couldn’t…” He pulls back and kisses Natasha, hard and fast. “Thank you.”

She licks her lips and blinks at him. “You owe that kiss to Tony and Pepper. Not that I don’t appreciate it.” Her free hand slides between them and she pushes him back so she can hand Callie over. “Think that’s the lady you want to be with.”

Steve holds her carefully, reining in his strength so he doesn’t hurt her. Not giving in to the relief that makes him want to crush her to his chest and never let her go. He knows he’s covered in dirt and stained with tears and his own blood so he shouldn’t, but he can worry about germs later when he isn’t awash with relief.

“Come on.” Natasha rubs his shoulder. “Tony wants us all in your apartment, since it’s set up for Callie.”

Steve nods, but doesn’t look up and makes no move toward the elevator. Bucky puts his hand on Steve’s other shoulder and guides him forward. Natasha walks at Steve’s other side as Clint gets the elevator open.

Clint leads the way out, and when they get into the apartment Tony’s walking out of the bedroom area dressed in sweatpants, toweling his hair dry. “Rhodey’s doing fine. He’ll be here once Dr. Cho finishes completing a bunch of paperwork in triplicate. He’s doing all right. Thanks for taking care of him.” Tony’s not good at apologies or thank yous, but he manages to lift his eyes to Bucky and Steve. “I freaked out about them.”

“You think we didn’t?” Bucky snaps. 

“”I’m sorry.” Tony grits out. “Fuck.” He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

Steve doesn’t look at him; he just nods and keeps his head down, pressed against Callie’s. Pepper clears her throat and Steve sees her stand and come closer to him out of the corner of his eye. She takes his arm and tugs gently. “Come sit down.”

He goes obediently. Tony moves over to Bucky and talks softly. Steve could hear if he tried, but he’s too intent on holding Callie, listening to the soft exhale of her breath, feeling the thread of her pulse. He loses time, doesn’t move. He knows he’s filthy and exhausted and overwhelmed, but none of that matters beyond the knowledge that she’s safe in his arms.

“Steve.” He starts at the voice, at the feel of fingers threading through his hair. It feels heavy with dirt and smoke, with grime and sweat, but the pressure seems to ease the throbbing behind Steve’s eyes. “Hey, bud. Shower time.”

He raises his head and blinks at Bucky. “I’m fine.”

“Come on. I brought you some clothes. You’re used to my hand-me-downs.” He ducks his head so he can look Steve in his eyes. “She’s asleep. She’s okay. And you stink, buddy.”

“Can’t leave her.”

“Tell you what, I’ll hold her and sit inside the bathroom, okay? Have her right there with you. She’s sleeping, so she can’t go in the water. Come on.” Bucky stands and guides Steve to his feet. Steve looks up and everyone is sitting around, all apparently freshly showered, even Bucky. “They’ll stand guard, okay?”

Steve closes his eyes tight and then nods. “Thanks,” he whispers to them all before letting Bucky lead him out of the room to the bathroom. Once they’re in the bedroom, Steve freezes. He can’t get out of the suit holding Callie, and he’s not sure he can let her go quite yet. Bucky seems to get it and comes closer.

“Shift her to the right a little.” Steve does and Bucky carefully undoes the suit fastenings. Steve goes where Bucky directs him, moving Callie as little as possible. He’s down to the undergarments and Bucky steps back. “Can’t do this part, buddy. At least the shirt.”

Steve nods and takes a deep breath. Bucky moves back in and carefully takes Callie from Steve’s arms, holding her against his chest and starting to sway as she sniffles a little like she’s threatening to wake up. Steve strips out of the rest of his clothes, keeping his eyes on Callie as long as he can. 

“C’mon. Shower.” Bucky shoves Steve lightly, pushing him toward the bathroom. Steve doesn’t look away as he turns the water on. As it steams up, he reaches out to brush his fingers over Callie’s forehead. Bucky smiles at him. “Go on. I’ve got her.”

Climbing into the shower is hard, but he does it, breathing a sigh of relief as Bucky holds the door open a little so that Steve can see him sitting on the floor with Callie in his arms. The steamy air seems to open his lungs, letting him take full breaths for what feels like the first time in years, even though he knows it’s only been hours. 

Bucky’s leaning against the wall with a small smile on his face, bouncing Callie in his arms in a mesmerizing rhythm. Steve scrubs himself down, doing his best to look away as little as possible. His gaze is mostly focused on Callie, but sometimes his eyes catch Bucky’s, and he realizes that he’s completely naked and Bucky can see him.

Steve’s breath seems to catch in his throat again, and he looks away. When he looks back, Bucky’s looking at him, eyes moving up and down the length of Steve’s body. His gaze makes Steve shiver, and when Bucky’s head snaps up, Steve makes sure to be looking at Callie. He wants to laugh, probably hysterically at this point, because the way Bucky’s looking at him makes Steve think that Natasha and Sam might have been right.

Any other day that would have Steve dragging Bucky into the shower with him, or stepping out and pressing his wet body against Bucky's dry one and kissing him. Touching him. Remind them both that they’re alive against all fucking odds. 

Callie makes a noise and raises her head, eyes widening as she sees Bucky. “Bubu!”

“Hey, Callie-girl.” he kisses her forehead. “Who’s that?”

Callie looks in the direction Bucky nods and squeals in delight. “Dadadadadadada.”

Steve leans out the door and drops a quick, drippy kiss on the top of her head. She squeals again and starts smacking Steve’s cheeks, sending little water droplets flying. He cuts his glance over to Bucky, and he’s staring at them, something dark in his eyes, though Steve can’t quite tell what it is.

“I should get dressed.” He pulls away to turn off the water, and Callie gives him an indignant squawk. Bucky laughs softly so she turns to him, smacking his cheeks, leaving damp handprints behind. Steve climbs out and grabs a towel, drying off quickly, then securing it around his waist. Callie’s back to babbling, and Bucky keeps his eyes on her as Steve brushes past him to get dressed. 

The heat of the shower, relief, and the adrenaline crash all hit Steve as he pulls on the sweatpants and he sways slightly. He scrubs his face with both hands and sighs. “You think anyone would care if I crashed?” He snorts at himself. “Sorry. Bad choice of words.”

“I don’t think anyone would blame you.”

Steve nods and heads toward the living room. He stops, and Bucky comes up behind him. Everyone’s asleep, all leaning on each other or against furniture. Steve smiles softly and turns. Bucky’s close and Callie has gone quiet. “You want to sleep in here with us?”

He watches Bucky’s throat work as he swallows. The air feels thick, and Steve wonders if he’s read everything wrong or if he’s pushed too far. Bucky nods and hands Callie to Steve. “Yeah. I do.”

**

Steve announces his official resignation from the Avengers the next day. He hands the shield over to Bucky and shrugs, smiling at him. “The world still needs Captain America.”

“You are not pulling this sh--” Bucky clears his throat, realizing they’re in front of the press and on television. He holds the shield like he wants to throw it at Steve or smack him with it, but instead he takes a deep breath. “You’ll pay for this, Rogers,” he whispers as he steps up to the microphone. “I’m proud to carry the shield. There’s only one Steve Rogers though, only one true Captain America, and when and if he’s ready to pick it up again, the shield is his.”

Steve can’t stop smiling. He thought it’d be harder giving it up for good, but he knows no one will do better at keeping what Steve stands for at the heart of it all. 

“You’re a dead man,” Bucky mutters as he walks past him, and Steve knows the shove he gets with the shield is no accident, but if he’s honest, he was prepared for worse. Tony takes over the press conference, answering questions about what this means for the team, and he reminds them all that they’ve been working Steve-less for months now.

Steve just stands there smiling fondly at them all. They’re his family. Tears suddenly flood his eyes, stinging, and he steps back off the stage as unobtrusively as possible. Happy's sitting on the floor, reading to Callie. “I can take her now.”

Happy looks up at him and nods, standing and handing Callie over to him. “You won’t be a stranger, right?”

“I don’t plan on it.” Steve doesn’t lie. He doesn’t plan to disappear from all their lives, but he also knows that life happens and it doesn’t always care about any plans you make. He holds Callie close and kisses her forehead. “You’re stuck with me full-time now, kiddo.”

The rest of the team is filing off the stage and Tony claps his hands, looking around at all of them, his gaze finally settling on Steve. “So. Retirement party.”

“What?”

“Retirement party. Upstairs. You have no choice.” He takes Callie right out of Steve’s arms and heads for the elevator. “I’ve got the kid.”

They all go up to what Tony insists is Steve’s floor. There are balloons and streamers and everything is red, white, and blue. It’s like a USO show. Steve shakes his head, closing his eyes tight. “Really?”

“Be glad he didn’t invite the press,” Sam says as he walks past Steve, heading for the kitchen. There’s a metal tub on the counter filled with beer and another with water. The table is laden with food, and in the center there’s a five-tier cake with twirling sparklers. 

“Most people retire at fifty-five, sixty.” Clint shrugs. “Showing us all up again.”

“At that age, I was still frozen.” Steve glances around, looking for Bucky. Tony sits on the couch with Callie, and everyone else heads for the kitchen. “I’m going to change out of this.” He’s wearing his uniform, and it’s strange to think it’s the last time. 

Tony waves over his shoulder, his attention on Callie instead. Steve slips into the bedroom and closes the door behind him, leaning against it. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. “You know,” Bucky says and Steve bangs his head against the door in surprise. Bucky’s sitting on the edge of the bed, the shield between his spread legs, his hands draped over the top. “You could have warned me.”

“Would you have said yes?”

“We’ll never know.”

“I trust you with it.”

“I’m not you, Steve.”

“I don’t want you to be me. I want you to be Captain America. Your version. I’m not looking for some sort of paragon of virtue. Christ, obviously. But Erskine told me to be a good man. And you’re the best man I know.”

“You have some seriously screwed-up perspective when it comes to what good means.”

“No. I think you do. I think that everything Hydra did to you and made you do makes you think you’re not who you are, who I see. Plus, I’m always right.”

Bucky snorts. “Yeah, whatever. You forget, I’ve known you as long as you’ve known me, and you can maybe fool the rest of the world, but you’re never putting one over on me. I know exactly how much of a little trouble-stirring shit Steve Rogers is.”

“And you wouldn’t have him any other way.”

Bucky smiles and shakes his head. “True. Well, I’d like you to be a little less stubborn.” He stands up, looks down at the shield and leans it against the bed. 

“No you wouldn’t.”

“No. I wouldn’t.” Sighing, Bucky walks over and stops right in front of Steve. Steve doesn’t move, barely breathes. He’d woken up before Bucky and Callie this morning and looked at them both. Stared at them, memorized them. He’d leaned down and kissed Callie’s head, and when he looked up, Bucky had been watching him. Steve hadn’t recognized the look on his face then, and he doesn’t recognize it now. 

“Buck?”

“Shut up.” He steps closer and touches Steve’s jaw. There’s a slight shadow, the remnants of a bruise from the fight the day before. Steve looks down at Bucky’s arm and then back up at Bucky. He can’t help the shiver that runs through him. “Just shut up, okay?”

Steve opens his mouth, snaps it shut, and nods. The corners of Bucky’s mouth curl up and he moves his hand just enough that he can slide his thumb over Steve’s lower lip. Steve swallows and, on instinct, darts his tongue out to wet his suddenly dry lips. The tip of it brushes Bucky’s thumb and Steve’s not sure which of them sucks in the breath, or if it’s both of them. “Buck?”

“You drive me fucking crazy, Rogers.” Bucky’s thumb resumes its slow slide over Steve’s lip. “Started the first time I met you and never stopped.”

“Sorry?” Steve breathes.

Bucky shakes his head and leans in, closing his eyes. He takes his thumb away and replaces it with a soft brush of his lips. Steve’s lips part automatically, but Bucky pulls back. Not far, but enough that there’s space between them; they can see each other clearly. 

“Wh--” Steve licks his lips again. “What was that?”

“Please tell me you know what that was, because otherwise I’m gonna have to call Sam in here to tell you about the birds and the bees, and that’s just gonna be awkward as hell for everyone.” Bucky’s voice trembles slightly, his smile wavering.

“You kissed me.”

“Oh good,” Bucky sighs. “Had me worried.”

“Bucky.” Steve’s tone cuts the humor short, makes the nervousness tighten Bucky’s expression. “You kissed me.”

“Yeah. I did.” He glances down at Steve’s mouth and then back up to his eyes. “You okay with that?”

“Did you do it on purpose?” Bucky blinks at him and Steve shakes his head. “Forget I asked that. I just... Why?”

“Why did I kiss you?”

Bucky steps back in, closer to Steve. He closes his eyes, leaning in and breathing against Steve’s lips. Steve swallows audibly. “Y-yeah.”

Bucky kisses him again, one hand on Steve’s hip and the other wrapped around the back of his neck, firm fingers guiding Steve’s head, tilting it so their mouths slot together and everything in the world seems to fall into place like a puzzle coming together. Steve moans softly into Bucky’s mouth and Bucky makes a quiet sound of his own.

When they part, Steve licks his lips and swallows again. “Is this new?”

“No.” Bucky catches Steve’s lower lip and pulls it into his mouth, sucking lightly. “Is it okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I…”

Bucky shakes his head. “You need to get out of those clothes.”

“I… I do?”

“Unless you’re that attached to the tights.”

“They aren’t _tights_.”

Bucky laughs and steps back, tugging at one of the fasteners. “You sure you want me to have this?”

“There’s no one else I want stepping into my shoes. Well, maybe Sam.”

“Wilson? Oh, hell no.” Bucky undoes another fastener. “No fucking way is bird boy gonna carry the shield.” 

Steve huffs a laugh, watching Bucky’s hands as he undoes Steve’s uniform. Steve shrugs it off his shoulders, the wicking material of his shirt feeling too tight across his chest. “Hey, Buck?”

Bucky has his hands on Steve’s waist, fingers rubbing small arcs over his abs. “Yeah?”

“There are a whole lot of people outside. I’m thinking maybe you undressing me isn’t the best idea right now.”

“Oh. Oh.” Bucky clears his throat and the apples of his cheeks pinken. His metal hand stays on Steve’s hip and the other slides down, curving over the fabric of Steve’s uniform, covering his cock. “Wow, a couple kisses and you’re willing to put out? I didn’t know you were that kind of girl.”

“Hell of a lot you don’t know about me.” Steve’s voice has dropped an octave, and it feels like gravel in his throat. Bucky looks up at him, and the blue of his eyes is nearly swallowed by his pupils. 

“I’m… Yeah. I’m gonna go out there. Let you change.”

“Yeah.” Steve leans in and steals a kiss, hips rolling forward so he’s pressing against Bucky’s palm. “Make sure Tony hasn’t kidnapped Callie.”

“Don’t talk about Callie right now.” Bucky moves his hand and presses closer, slotting his thigh between Steve’s legs. “Don’t talk right now.” His kiss is hard this time, tongue pushing past Steve’s lips, sliding against his tongue, slow lazy fucks into his mouth, the tip of his tongue against Steve’s teeth, his soft palate. Steve moans and presses closer, his cock against Bucky’s thigh, Bucky’s against his. Steve grabs Bucky’s hips and holds him still so he can rock against him.

Steve’s brain isn’t firing on all cylinders, caught in a feedback loop of the way Bucky tastes, the way he feels. They break apart when someone yells “Rogers!” from the living room. Steve feels like the world is moving underneath his feet, like he’s on the ocean in an earthquake in the middle of a hurricane. 

Bucky groans as he pulls back, scrubbing his face with both hands. “Fuck. Fuck.” His cock is a hard curve against his tac pants. “I’m never gonna fucking hear the end of this from Romanoff.”

Steve glances at the door, reaches over and snaps the lock, then goes down onto his knees fluidly. Bucky sucks in a breath and then seems unable to release it as Steve unfastens Bucky’s pants quickly and easily and then eases his cock out and takes him into his mouth.

Steve watches Bucky through hooded eyes, through dark eyelashes. Bucky bites hard at his forearm to stop from making any noise and, after a moment, Steve lets his eyes close and loses himself in the taste and feel, the weight and girth and length of Bucky’s cock. He’s dreamt about this, fantasized. And nothing compares to the soapy tang of Bucky’s precome on his tongue.

Bucky’s metal hand drops to Steve’s face, tracing his cheekbone, tracing the outline of his own cock in Steve’s mouth. Steve sucks and swallows and takes Bucky deep, tongue and lips and teeth, suction and need building up until suddenly Bucky’s coming, hips jerking, cock spilling down Steve’s throat. Steve sucks for a moment longer until Bucky trembles all over and then he carefully pulls away, mouth wet and shiny with spit as he lets Bucky’s cock slide slowly from his mouth.

“Holy Mary mother of God Jesus fucking Christ.” Bucky breathes. He catches his hand on Steve’s shoulder when he starts to sway, steadying himself when it looks like his knees threaten to give out. “Fuck.”

“Better? No telltale evidence.”

“I’m pretty sure I look like my brains were just sucked out through my dick. Think they might guess.”

“That so bad?” Steve asks as he gets to his feet smoothly. He kisses Bucky as he reaches down, carefully tucking Bucky back in his pants and doing up the fly. 

“No.” Bucky shakes his head. “No. But hurry out, okay? I don’t know that I can go through it without everything going to hell in a handbasket if you’re not there.”

“Because I always de-escalate things.”

“Oh god.” Bucky drops his head in his hands, then walks over to the door. “This is going to be bad.”

**

Bucky starts spending the night at Steve and Callie’s. He says it’s because the rest of the team won’t shut up, but, as easy as that is to believe, Steve knows it’s more than that. It’s not sex -- despite the blow job, they haven’t gone beyond kissing since then -- but it is the easy way they fit with each other. For the first time since before the war, Steve feels like he’s actually home where he belongs.

Steve’s sitting on the couch, leaning against the arm. He had been drawing, but Bucky had shown up and crawled up between Steve’s legs and leaned back against his chest. He’d picked Callie up from where she’d been standing at the other end of the couch, tugging on Steve’s toes and giggling, and settled her back against him. 

“So, when do you think she’ll start calling me dada?”

“Um, never?” Steve sounds scandalized even to his own ears. “What’s longer than never? Never ever.”

Bucky laughs and bounces her a little. “Oh, c’mon. You know she loves me best.”

Steve flicks the back of Bucky’s head. “Think again.”

Bucky sighs and snuggles closer to Steve, his ass between Steve’s parted thighs, dangerously close to Steve’s cock. “You thought about adopting her? Officially? You’re retired now.”

“I want to. I mean, it’s only because I am who I am that I’ve gotten to keep her this long, no matter what her mother wanted.”

“You should, you know. No one’s going to love her more than you do.” He kisses the top of Callie’s head and she gives him a soft sigh, nuzzling against Bucky’s chest. “Have Pepper help you with the paperwork.”

“I guess I’m scared they’ll say no.”

“You’re never scared.” 

“Ha. I’m scared all the time. Petrified since the day she showed up at my door. Convinced I’ve done everything wrong. It doesn’t matter that she’s hit every milestone and she seems happy and I know she’s loved. I know I fucked up somewhere.”

“You’re too hard on yourself.” He tilts his head back and puckers his lips until Steve rolls his eyes and ducks his head down to kiss him. “If anyone’s gonna be hard on you, should be me.” He waggles his eyebrows and Steve rolls his eyes even more. “You’re a great dad, Steve. Just like I always knew you would be.”

Steve kisses him again, warmer this time. “Think you put her to sleep.”

“It’s nice.” He shifts again and Steve wraps his arms around him. Bucky turns his head slightly so he’s resting on Steve’s chest. “This is nice.”

“It is.” Steve closes his eyes, just listening to the sound of them all breathing in sync. 

“Now that you’re out of the superhero business, do you want to be completely out of it? The team. Us?”

“You guys are my family. Even without the shield, people are always going to know I’m Captain America, or they’ll see me that way. It’s never going to be a hundred percent safe. And I’m not giving any of you up. Not even you.”

“Sweet talker.”

“That’s me.” 

Bucky tilts his head to the side so he can look up at Steve. “Seriously though. When’s she gonna call me dada?”

Steve leans in close and whispers in Bucky’s ear. “Fuck you, Barnes.”

**

“Steve! Steve! Holy shit!” Steve bolts out of the communal-floor kitchen, vaulting over the counter to get into the main room. His first instinct is to go for his shield, but there’s no shield there. Bucky’s standing in the middle of the room, phone in one hand and waving Steve over with the other. 

The phone at least gives Steve a hint that they’re probably not in danger until he comes closer and sees what Bucky’s got it pointed at.

“Holy shit,” Tony breathes next to him. “She’s _walking_.”

Callie’s on her feet, trying to get to Bucky, wavering slightly and narrowing her eyes when he keeps taking steps backwards. “Papa!” She snaps at him, taking another step, swaying, and falling onto her butt. She’s still glaring at Bucky.

“She’s walking!” Tony says again, louder this time.

“Ha! She called me Papa!” Bucky’s voice is even louder than Tony’s.

“Shit,” Steve breathes. “We’re all doomed.”


End file.
